Card Reader Device Using a Microphone Input of a Headset Jack of a Means for Communicating with a Host System

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a card reader device includes: a read head configured to produce a signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe of a card in response to the magnetic stripe being passed by the read head; means for passively attenuating configured to attenuate the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe resulting in an attenuated output signal indicative of said data stored on the magnetic stripe; and a tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug adapted to be inserted into a standard headset jack associated with means for communicating with a host system and configured to provide the attenuated output signal indicative of said data stored on the magnetic stripe to the communicating means via a microphone input of the standard headset jack. The means for communicating with a host system and/or host system perform processing based on the attenuated output signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/065,931, filed Apr. 1, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/807,064, filed Aug. 26, 2010, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,918,394, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/456,134, filed on Jun. 10, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.7,810,729, with the complete disclosure of each of these applicationsbeing hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to credit card reader devicesthat are configured to use a microphone input of a headset jack of amobile host device, and their use.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to a card reader device for use with a cellularphone for reading a magnetic stripe card and more particularly to aportable card reader device which senses the magnetically recordedinformation stored on a magnetic stripe card and conveys this sensedinformation via an analog waveform to a cell phone for furtherprocessing.

Plastic cards having a magnetic stripe embedded on one side of the cardare prevalent in every day commerce. These cards are used in varioustransactions such as to pay for purchases by using a credit card, adebit card, or a gasoline charge card. A charge card or a debit card mayalso be used to transact business with a bank through use of anautomated teller machine (ATM). The magnetic stripe card is capable ofstoring data by modifying the magnetism of magnetic particles embeddedin the stripe. The data stored on the magnetic stripe may be sensed orread by swiping the stripe past a read head. The analog waveformobtained by sensing the magnetic stripe must undergo a process known asdecoding to obtain the digital information stored in the magnetic stripeof the card. Conventional magnetic stripe card readers are comprised ofboth relatively simple sensing components as well as the more costly andcomplex decoding and communication components.

It is typical in a magnetic stripe card to locate the magnetic stripe0.223 inches from an edge of the card with the stripe being 0.375 incheswide. The magnetic stripe contains up to three tracks of digital datawith each track being 0.110 inches wide. Tracks one and three aretypically recorded at 210 bits per inch, while track two typically has arecording density of 75 bits per inch. Each track can either contain7-bit alphanumeric characters, or 5-bit numeric characters. Track onestandards were created by the airlines industry, the International AirTransport Association. Track one can contain information reserved forthe bank that issued the card and magnetically encoded data like theprimary account number, the user's name, a country code, an expirationdate for the card, and 79 characters of discretionary data, all mixed inwith separators and other specialized computer characters. The secondtrack, the track most commonly used, is in a format defined by theAmerican Bankers Association. The second track can contain the primaryaccount number, the country code, the card's expiration date, 40characters of discretionary data, and separator characters. The thirdtrack is in a format called THRIFT and was originally intended for usewith ATMs. Unlike tracks one and two, which are read only tracks, thethird track was intended for read and write applications. However, forthe most part, the third track is hardly ever used. Further, theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO), aninternational-standard setting body, has a set of standards fordescribing the physical dimensions and recording technique onidentification cards which are known as ISO 7810 and 7811.

Magnetic stripe cards having these standard specifications can typicallybe read by point-of-sale devices at a merchant's location. When the cardis swiped through an electronic card reader at the checkout counter at amerchant's store, the reader will usually use its built-in modem to dialthe number of a company that handles credit authentication requests.Once the account is verified and an approval signal will be sent back tothe merchant to complete a transaction.

Although magnetic stripe cards are universally used by merchants thereis no way for an individual to take advantage of the card to receive apayment from another individual (who is not a merchant) by swiping thecard through a simple reader attached to his cell phone. For example,one individual may owe another person money for a debt, but one way topay the debt is to provide cash or a check. It would be convenient to beable to use a credit card or a debit card to pay off the debt. Inaddition, it is advantageous for an individual to make payment toanother individual or merchant by swiping his magnetic stripe cardthrough a reader connected to a cell phone. However, there is presentlyno way for an individual to send payment to an individual or merchantthrough the use of a magnetic stripe card by using a simple magneticstripe card reader connected to a cell phone.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a simple card reader devicethat would allow an individual to receive or send payment through theuse of a magnetic stripe card. It is also desirable to provide a simpleportable card reader device that can be connected to a cell phone withthe cell phone providing the decoding function for the sensed magneticstripe information as well as acting as a point-of-sale device. The cellphone can have an application programmed therein to decode datacontained on a magnetic stripe to submit the card data to a company or athird party that handles credit authentication requests.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one form of the present disclosure, a card reader device comprises: aread head configured to produce a signal indicative of data stored on amagnetic stripe of a card in response to the magnetic stripe beingpassed by the read head; means for passively attenuating configured toattenuate the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic striperesulting in an attenuated output signal indicative of said data storedon the magnetic stripe; and a tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug adaptedto be inserted into a standard headset jack associated with means forcommunicating with a host system and configured to provide theattenuated output signal indicative of said data stored on the magneticstripe to the communicating means via a microphone input of the standardheadset jack.

In one form of the present disclosure, a method comprises: providing acard reader device including: a read head configured to readmagnetically recorded information stored on a magnetic stripe of aswiped card and to produce a signal indicative of said read magneticallyrecorded information, means for passively attenuating configured toattenuate the signal indicative of said read magnetically recordedinformation resulting in an attenuated output signal indicative of saidread magnetically recorded information, and a tip, ring(s), sleeveoutput plug adapted to be inserted into a standard headset jackassociated with associated with means for communicating with a hostsystem configured to provide to the communicating means the attenuatedoutput signal indicative of said read magnetically recorded informationvia a microphone input of the standard headset jack; and providing tothe communicating means for further processing by circuitry contained inthe communicating means a particular attenuated output signal indicativeof said read magnetically recorded information stored on a particularmagnetic stripe of a particular card swiped by the read head.

In one form of the present disclosure, a method comprises: receiving, bya host system via a communicating means, data from which an accountnumber can be determined, with the account number having been acquiredfrom information read from a magnetic stripe of a card by a card readerdevice; wherein the card reader device comprises: a read head configuredto read information, including a representation of an account number,stored on a magnetic stripe of a card, and to produce a signalindicative of said read information; means for passively attenuatingconfigured to attenuate the signal indicative of said read informationresulting in an attenuated output signal indicative of said readinformation, and a tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug adapted to beinserted into a standard headset jack associated with associated withthe communicating means and configured to provide to the communicatingmeans the attenuated output signal indicative of said read informationvia a microphone input of the standard headset jack; and providingauthorization, by the host system to the communicating means, for aparticular transaction corresponding to the account number.

In one form of the present disclosure, a card reader device for readinga card having data stored on a magnetic stripe incorporated into thecard the card reader device comprises a read head for passing a magneticstripe of a card by to read data stored on a magnetic stripe and forproducing a signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe, asignal setting device for setting an amplitude of the signal indicativeof data stored on a magnetic stripe, and an output jack adapted to beinserted into a microphone input associated with a cell phone forproviding the signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe to acell phone, wherein application software resident on the cell phonedirects the processor of the cell phone to decode the signal provided tothe microphone input to produce the digital data stored on the card.

In another form of the present disclosure, a card reader device forreading a card having data stored on a magnetic stripe incorporated intothe card in which the device comprises a read head for passing amagnetic stripe of a card by to read data stored on a magnetic stripeand for producing a signal indicative of data stored on a magneticstripe, an amplifier for amplifying the signal indicative of data storedon a magnetic stripe, and an output jack adapted to be inserted into aninput associated with a cell phone for providing the signal indicativeof data stored on a magnetic stripe to a cell phone, wherein applicationsoftware resident on the cell phone directs the processor of the cellphone to decode the signal provided to the audio or line input toproduce the digital data stored on the card.

In yet another form of the present disclosure, a method for reading acard having data stored on a magnetic stripe incorporated into the cardis disclosed in which the method comprises the steps of providing a cardreader device comprising a read head for passing a magnetic stripe of acard by to read data stored on a magnetic stripe and for producing asignal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe, a signal settingdevice for setting an amplitude of the signal indicative of data storedon a magnetic stripe, an output jack adapted to be inserted into amicrophone input associated with a cell phone for providing the signalindicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe to a cell phone, passinga card having data stored on a magnetic stripe incorporated into thecard by the card reader device, and providing the signal indicative ofdata stored on a magnetic stripe to a cell phone for processing bycircuitry contained in a cellphone.

In light of the foregoing comments, it will be recognized that aprincipal object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice comprised of a very simple external device to be used inconjunction with a cell phone with application software provided toperform the decoding function.

A further object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that can read and decode data stored on a magnetic stripe card bysensing the recorded data waveform and transmitting the data waveform toa cell phone where it is decoded with built in circuitry and applicationsoftware provided.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that can read one or more tracks of data stored on a magneticstripe card.

A further object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that is of simple construction and design and which can be easilyemployed with highly reliable results.

A still further object of the present disclosure is to provide a cardreader device that can be easily carried or stored.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that does not require any source of power.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that may be constructed in various shapes, designs, or forms.

A still further object of the present disclosure is to provide a cardreader device that can amplify data read from a magnetic stripe card. Insome constructions an amplifier resident in a card reader device mayrequire power which may be provided by a cell phone.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a card readerdevice that can operate with existing magnetic stripe cards.

Yet still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cardreader device that can provide a signal indicative of data stored in amagnetic stripe and application software to a cell phone for the cellphone to decode the signal indicative of data stored in a magneticstripe to be processed to transact commerce.

These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome apparent after considering the following detailed specificationin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a card reader device constructedaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a card reader device constructedaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a card readerdevice constructed according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operation of a card reader deviceconstructed according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a card reader device constructedaccording to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numbers refer to like items,number 10 identifies a preferred embodiment of a card reader deviceconstructed according to the present disclosure. With reference now toFIG. 1, the card reader device 10 is shown to comprise a housing 12having a slot 14 and an output jack 16 extending out from the housing12. The jack 16 is adapted to be inserted into a socket 18 such as amicrophone input or a line in audio input of a cell phone 20. The jack16 may be a TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connector also known as an audiojack, phone plug, jack plug, stereo plug, mini-jack, or mini-stereoaudio connector. The jack 16 may be formed of different sizes such asminiaturized versions that are 3.5 mm or 2.5 mm. It is also possible andcontemplated that the jack 16 may be retractable within the housing 12.

The slot 14 is wide enough and deep enough to accept a card having amagnetic stripe. In particular, the slot 14 is deep enough that themagnetic stripe will fit within the slot 14. The slot 14 also has alength that is less than the length of the card to be inserted into theslot 14. However, it is also possible and contemplated that the slot 14may have other lengths if desired, for a given application. The housing12 may take on different shapes and sizes, as will be discussed furtherherein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the card reader device 10. Thecard reader device 10 comprises a read head 22, such as an inductivepickup head, having a coil 24 connected to a signal amplitude settingdevice 26 such as a resistor which is connected to the jack 16. A lead28 connects the jack 16 to the coil 24 to complete the circuit. A card30, such as a credit card, has a magnetic stripe 32 associated with thecard 30. As has been previously discussed, the magnetic stripe 32 mayhave three tracks with each of the tracks containing data. The cardreader device 10 is capable of reading one track, usually track two,when the device 10 is connected to the microphone input of the cellphone 20. As the magnetic stripe 32 of the card 30 is passed by the readhead 22 the read head 22 reads data or information stored in themagnetic stripe 32. Although not shown, the card 30 is inserted into theslot 14 in the housing 12 and the card 30 is swiped or passed by theread head 22. Data stored in the magnetic stripe 32 may be in the formof magnetic transitions as described in the ISO 7811 standards. As thecard 30 moves past the read head 22, magnetic transitions representingdata induce a voltage in the coil 24. A voltage signal or waveformproduced by the coil 24 is provided to the resistor 26 with the resistorsetting the amplitude of the waveform. This waveform is sent via thejack 16 into the microphone input socket 18 of the cell phone 20. A pairof wires 34 and 36 connect the socket 18 to an amplifier 38. Theamplifier 38 amplifies the waveform received from the card reader device10. The amplified waveform is provided to an analog to digital converterdevice (ADC) 40 where the waveform in analog form is converted intodigital samples of the analog waveform. The digital samples are sent toa microprocessor 42 for further processing, as will be explained. Forthe sake of clarity and brevity most of the components of the cell phone20 have not been shown. However, the cell phone 20 may also include suchcomponents as memory including flash ROM, SRAM, a camera, a battery, LCDdriver, a display, an antenna, a speaker, a Bluetooth circuit, and WIFIcircuitry. The flash ROM may contain programs, applications, and/or anoperating system for the cell phone 20.

The card reader device 10 is capable of being connected to the cellphone 20 for providing data stored in the magnetic stripe 32 of a card30. Once connected any magnetic stripe 32 that is swiped in the slot 14is read by the read head 22. The magnetic read head 22 generates ananalog waveform that results from changes in magnetization along thestripe 32 relative to the movement between the read head 22 and thestripe 32. The resistor 26 sets the amplitude of this signal and thissignal is provided to the cell phone 20. This signal is then amplifiedby the amplifier 38 contained in the cell phone 20. The ADC 40 of thecell phone 20 samples the amplified analog waveform at a given samplingrate and generates a stream of digital values or samples. These digitalsamples are processed by the processor 42 that can in turn provideinformation to a host system such as a third party or a company thathandles credit authentication requests. The processor 42 can communicatewith the host system via the cell phone network, WIFI, Bluetooth or anyother mode available to it. The host system may also send a signal tothe cell phone 20 to indicate that the transaction has been completed.The processor 42 may be controlled by a program or an application storedin memory or in a program storage area. The program or application canbe programmed to decode digital samples received from the ADC 40 and usethe decoded signals to contact a third party for authorizing atransaction. In this manner, a payment from the cardholder's account canbe transferred to the cell phone owner's account or allow the cell phoneowner to transfer payment to a merchant that accepts credit cardtransactions.

With reference now to FIG. 3, another embodiment of a card reader device80 is illustrated. The card reader device 80 comprises a housing 82having an inductive read head 84 with coil 86 connected to an amplifier88 which is connected to an output jack 90. The output jack 90 extendsout of the housing 82 and is adapted to be inserted into a line in audioinput or a stereo line in input associated with a cell phone (notshown). A wire 92 connects the jack 90 to the coil 86. Although notshown in this particular drawing, a slot is formed in the housing 82near the coil 86 to allow a card having a magnetic stripe to be passedby the coil 86. Data or information stored in the magnetic stripe isread by the coil 86. The coil 86 produces a waveform indicative of datastored in the magnetic stripe and this waveform is provided to theamplifier 88. The amplified waveform is then transmitted to the cellphone via the jack 90. The amplified waveform may be provided to an ADCdevice for converting into digital samples to be processed by amicroprocessor in the cell phone. Once processed, the cell phone maycontact a third party for processing a transaction in either direction(i.e., to or from the cell phone owner's account).

Since the card reader device 80 uses the line in audio input of the cellphone, the card reader device 80 is capable of transmitting two tracksfrom the card being read. As has been previously discussed, a magneticstripe may have up to three tracks with each of the tracks containingdata. For example, the card reader device 80 may read tracks one and twoand send these signals to the cell phone as the left and right channelsof a stereo signal. However, with the card reader device 80 any two ofthe three tracks, usually tracks one and two, may be read and decodedwhen the card reader device 80 is connected to the stereo line ininputs. In some situations or constructions, it is possible that theamplifier 88 may need to be powered. The amplifier 88 may be poweredfrom a power source resident in the cell phone to which the device 80 isconnected.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method of operation 100 ofthe card reader device 10. The method 100 begins operation at a step 102in which a magnetic stripe card 30 is swiped through the slot 14. In anext step 104, the read head 22 reads data stored in the magnetic stripe32 and generates an analog signal or waveform indicative of data storedin the magnetic stripe 32. The waveform then has its amplitude set bythe resistor 26 in a step 106. Next, in a step 108, the set waveform isprovided to the cell phone 20 via the output jack 16 through the socket18. In a next step 110, the amplifier 38 amplifies the set waveform. Thewaveform is provided to the analog to digital converter device 40 forconversion to a digital signal in a step 112. An application or aprogram in the cell phone 20 decodes the digital signal in a next step114. In a next step 116, the program contacts a third party to authorizea transaction using the decoded signal. The third party eitherauthorizes or denies the transaction in a last step 118. For example, ifthe third party authorizes the transaction then money deducted from theaccount of the cardholder is transferred into an account associated withthe cell phone owner or vice versa. In this way, a debt can be collectedor paid by use of the card reader device 10. Further, the card readerdevices 10 or 80 may be employed to transact a one-way transaction inwhich money can be credited to an account. In essence, the card readerdevices 10 or 80 allow a user to become either a micro-merchant (payee)or a customer (payer) without having to purchase expensive card readerdevices or software.

With particular reference now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a cardreader device 150 is shown. The card reader device 150 has a housing 152that is in the shape of an acorn. The device 150 has a slot 154 thatruns along a length or a width of the housing 152. The slot 154 has adepth that is deep enough to allow a magnetic stripe of a card to passthrough the slot 154. The slot 154 has a length that can be less thanthe length of a card to be read. The device also has a jack 156extending out of the housing 152. The device 150 may contain thecomponents shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG. 3. In particular, the device150 may be easily carried and connected to a cell phone when needed. Thedevice 150 is also small enough that it may be easily stored when not inuse. Other shapes, sizes, or designs for the card reader devices 10, 80,or 150 are possible and contemplated.

From all that has been said, it will be clear that there has thus beenshown and described herein a card reader device which fulfills thevarious objects and advantages sought therefore. It will become apparentto those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, modifications,variations, and other uses and applications of the subject card readerdevice are possible and contemplated. All changes, modifications,variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from thespirit and scope of the disclosure are deemed to be covered by thedisclosure, which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A card reader device, comprising: a read headconfigured to produce a signal indicative of data stored on a magneticstripe of a card in response to the magnetic stripe being passed by theread head; means for passively attenuating configured to attenuate thesignal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe resulting in anattenuated output signal indicative of said data stored on the magneticstripe; and a tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug adapted to be insertedinto a standard headset jack associated with means for communicatingwith a host system and configured to provide the attenuated outputsignal indicative of said data stored on the magnetic stripe to thecommunicating means via a microphone input of the standard headset jack.2. The card reader device of claim 1, wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeveoutput plug comprises a 3.5 mm plug.
 3. The card reader device of claim1, wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug comprises a 2.5 mm plug.4. The card reader device of claim 1, wherein said means for passivelyattenuating consists of a single resistor.
 5. The card reader device ofclaim 1, wherein the read head and said means for passively attenuatingare contained within a housing.
 6. The card reader device of claim 5,wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug extends out of the housing.7. The card reader device of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises aslot into which the card having the magnetic stripe may be inserted andswiped.
 8. The card reader device of claim 1, wherein the attenuatedoutput signal is an attenuated analog signal produced by the read head.9. A method comprising: providing a card reader device, including: aread head configured to read magnetically recorded information stored ona magnetic stripe of a swiped card and to produce a signal indicative ofsaid read magnetically recorded information, means for passivelyattenuating configured to attenuate the signal indicative of said readmagnetically recorded information resulting in an attenuated outputsignal indicative of said read magnetically recorded information, and atip, ring(s), sleeve output plug adapted to be inserted into a standardheadset jack associated with associated with means for communicatingwith a host system configured to provide to the communicating means theattenuated output signal indicative of said read magnetically recordedinformation via a microphone input of the standard headset jack; andproviding to the communicating means for further processing by circuitrycontained in the communicating means a particular attenuated outputsignal indicative of said read magnetically recorded information storedon a particular magnetic stripe of a particular card swiped by the readhead.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve outputplug comprises a 3.5 mm plug.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein saidmeans for passively attenuating consists of a single resistor.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the read head and said means for passivelyattenuating are contained within a housing.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug extends out of the housing.14. The method of claim 9, wherein the attenuated output signal is anattenuated analog signal produced by the read head.
 15. A method,comprising: receiving, by a host system via a communicating means, datafrom which an account number can be determined, with the account numberhaving been acquired from information read from a magnetic stripe of acard by a card reader device; wherein the card reader device comprises:a read head configured to read information, including a representationof an account number, stored on a magnetic stripe of a card, and toproduce a signal indicative of said read information; means forpassively attenuating configured to attenuate the signal indicative ofsaid read information resulting in an attenuated output signalindicative of said read information, and a tip, ring(s), sleeve outputplug adapted to be inserted into a standard headset jack associated withassociated with the communicating means and configured to provide to thecommunicating means the attenuated output signal indicative of said readinformation via a microphone input of the standard headset jack; andproviding authorization, by the host system to the communicating means,for a particular transaction corresponding to the account number. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve output plugcomprises a 3.5 mm plug.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said meansfor passively attenuating consists of a single resistor.
 18. The methodof claim 15, wherein the read head and said means for passivelyattenuating are contained within a housing.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the tip, ring(s), sleeve output plug extends out of the housing.20. The method of claim 15, wherein the attenuated output signal is anattenuated analog signal produced by the read head.